Quadrant mechanism for mules.



866,307. PATENTED SEPT.17, 1907.

' W. D. RUNDLETT.

QUADRANT MECHANISM FOR 'MULBS.

APPLICATION nun we. 17, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. RUNDLETT, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIS& FURBER MACHINE COMPANY, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIONOF MASSACHUSETTS.

QUADRANT MECHANISM FOR MULES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1'7, 1907.

Application filed August 17,1905. Serial N0. 274,540.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. RUNDLETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Andovcr, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have in- 5 vented an Improvement in Quadrant Mechanismfor Mules, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention in mules relates more especially to what is known as thequadrant mechanism.

The quadrant is that device having a screw that is turned by mechanismderiving its movement from an endless band deriving its movement fromthe carriage. The screw is provided with a quadrant-nut having a sheaveover which passes the quadrant or winding chain connected with thespindle-driving drum, the movement of the screw being more or lessaccording to the difference in diameter between the largest and smallestpart of the cop on which the yarn is wound,

and if there is a discrepancy in the operation of the leeding mechanism,due to strain on the nut exerted in spinning that will turn the quadrantscrew, the screw when this is discovered must be turned by hand tosecure the proper winding. In the class of quadrant mechanism where afriction has been used, the friction exerted constantly has to beovercome by the operative at the completion of the winding of a set ofbobbins at which time and between the outward and inward run of thecarriage preparatory to dofiing, the

quadrant screw must beturned backwardlyto wind the quadrant nut down toits starting position toward the axis or the center of motion of thequadrant. This movement, provided the friction is set up to a pointwhere it is safe to operate the mule, has to be done quickly andrequires the exercise of considerable power on the part of theoperative.

Figure 1 in side elevation and section shows a Sllfllcicnt portion of amule embodying my improvements to enable my invention to be understood;Fig. 2 a

detail showing the quadrant screw and nut and some of the usual devicesfor turning said screw; Fig. 3 shows enlarged the quadrant arm, screwand nut, and my improvements added thereto; Fig. 4 is a left-hand sideelevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section on the lineas, Fig. 3 Fig. 6 shows the band wheel and its ratchet wheel detachedfrom the carriage and enlarged, and Fig. 7 is a section of Fig. 6 on theline 1:.

Referring to the drawings, A represents part of the carriage havingspindles A A the spindle driving drum; ]3 the shaft of the tensionialler; B a connected arm; C the shaft of the winding taller; C aconnected arm; C a flexible connection suspended from said arms andextended about a sheave a of a leg a movable vertically in a guide a ofthe carriage. A spring a acts normally to depress said leg when the armB of the tension taller shaft is turned downwardly during the winding,the tension ialler being then depressed by the strain of the threadrunning thereover.

D represents the quadrant arm; D the quadrant screw; D its nut, D itssheave; d, d bevel gears; d a shaft having a pinion, d (1 anintermediate pinion engaging a smaller pinion d on a shaft (i having abelt wheel d pivoted on a stud sustained by the stand employed forsupporting the quadrant. A suitable casting d on the floor is providedwith a stud to sustain a grooved wheel ti, and a casting d attached tothe carriage sustains a wheel (Z and said casting has a stud of. Thewheelsd and (I receive an endless belt d that between said wheels ispassed partially about the wheel d, and also about a grooved wheel d onthe stud (Z The sheave D of the quadrant nut is surrounded by a chain Dconnected at one end to the stand D 'fixed to the floor, and at itsopposite end with the usual winding drum of the mule carriage from whichthe spindles derive their movement during winding.

The parts so far referred to are old and need not be herein furtherdescribed with the exception that I have employed the wheel (Z tosustain a loose ratchet plate (1", whereas in the old forms ofconstinction the wheel (I had a fixed ratchet plate.

Referring to the quadrant, I have fixed to the quadrant screw D at theouter end of the quadrant arm D a plate or disk 10, and immediatelyabovesaid disk I provide the quadrant screw with a loose disk 12represented as provided with a series of notches to leave teeth orprojections 13. Above this disk I mount a friction plate 14 that isconnected with the screw by a spline 15, see Fig. 5, so that said plateis free to move 0 longitudinally thereover, and bearing on the outerface of the plate 14 I have provided a spring 16, the force of whichagainst said plate is controlled and made more or less by a nut 17applied to the outer end of the screw D. Between the fast plate or disk10 and j the notched plate -12, I preferably provide a friction washer18 of suitable material, preferably leatheroid or equivalent frictionmaterial, and I also provide a like washer 19 between the notched plate12 and the friction plate 14.

By turning the nut 17 the pressure of the spring 16 against the plate 14which is connected with the screw by the spline, may be made more orless so that said plate may be made to exert any degree of frictiondesired to prevent any rotation of the quadrant screw due to strain onthe quadrant nut, and by turning the nut not only the pressure of thespring may be varied and made more or less, but any wear of the trictionplates may be compensated, so that the absolute control of the screw isobtained through the devices referred to. When, it is necessary torevolve the quadrant screw backwardly to place the quadrant nut next tothe center of motion of the quadrant arm, it is only necessary torelease the locking device 20 pivoted at 21, and acted upon normally bya pin 22 and spring 23, to keep the engaging part of said locking devicein one of the notches of the plate. When this locking device is pulledoutward from its position Figs. 3 and 5, the mule operative may engagethe handle 24 applied to the square upper end of the quadrant screwabove the arm D, and may quickly and easily turn the quadrant screwbackwardly to place the quadrant nut inits starting position, and duringthis operation all parts of the friction device turn freely with the'screw D.

I believe that I am the first to employ with aquadrant screw anyfriction means in which the screw may be turned, and a locking device toretard rotation of said screw as same is being turned during the regularoperation of the mule, the disengagement of said looking device makinginoperative the friction on the screw that the latter may be freelyturned, and therefore I do not desire to limit my invention to the exactc011- struction of friction means shown but intend to cover anyequivalently operating device.

Heretofore the quadrant screw D in mules has been rotated by gearingoperated by what is designated a feeding'means including the band (iwhich band should be moved to actuate the quadrant screw just before thecarriage completes its inward run toward the feed rolls, and just beforethe tension faller descends, and before the winding faller is raised tolock the tension faller in the position that it should occupy during thenext outward run of the carriage. When the wheel'd is provided, as hasbeen customary, with a fixed ratchet plate it frequently happens thatthe teeth of said plate are engaged by the leg a, due to the depressionof the tension faller at the rolls, and when the position of the fallersis being changed preparatory to the carriage being run out, but toinsure the proper position of the quadrant nut the screw should beturned if necessary near the end of each inward run of the carriage, andthe screw should be turned before completing the inward run and beforethe change of position of the fallers. To provide against moving thescrew and nut after or while the fallers are being changed at the rolls,and to insure that said nut and screw be changed only at the propertime, that is, as the carriage is running in and before the fallers arechanged, I have connected the ratchet plate 11" loosely with the wheeld, by a pin 0 extended from said wheel into a slot 6 of the ratchetplate. The pin 0 is connected by a spring e with a stud 0 carried by theplate (I and this plate has a limited amount of lost motion due to theslot 6 and pin e By mounting the ratchet plate loosely, as described, onthe wheel d should the leg drop momentarily during the changing of thefallers at the rolls, the plate may be turned during the final movementof the carriage and not turn the wheel 01" to move the band (i and thusturn the screw and slide the nut thereon. In

my invention the nut is moved automatically only as the tightness of theyarn requires. Therefore, mounting the ratchet plate loosely alongsideof the wheel 11 avoids any accidental movement of the quadrant screw andits nut at the inward run of the carriage when the fallers are changingtheir position, and while the tension faller is moving into its lockedposition at the rolls.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the leg a isnot intended to engage the ratchet plate during the time that theposition of the fallers is being changed at the rolls, but if, in theoperation of winding, the yarn should be too tight the leg may drop atany point in the inward run of the carriage, meeting the ratchet wheel,and turning the grooved wheel, thus moving the band (i of the feedmechanism to turn the quadrant screw and move its nut to relieve thetension on the yarn, this being done before changing the position of thefallers.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:-

1. In a mule, the combination with the quadrant, its screw, and meansfor operating it, of friction means, and locking means for said frictionmeans, whereby when said locking means is in its operative position thescrew may be turned in the friction means, and when the locking means isdisengaged from said friction means the latter is rendered inoperative.

2. In a mule, the combination with the quadrant, its screw, and meansfor operating it, of friction means, and locking means for said frictionmeans, whereby when said locking means is in its operative position thescrew may be turned in the friction means, and when the locking means isin its inoperative position the screw and friction means may be turnedin unison, and means to regulate the amount of friction to be overcomebefore the screw can be turned in the friction means.

3. In a mule, the combination with the quadrant arm and its quadrantscrew, of a plate fixed to said screw at the upper end thereof and abovesaid arm friction devices surrounding said screw and co-acting with saidplate.

4. In a mule, the combination with the quadrant screw and friction meansincluding two plates mounted thereon and turning therewith, and anintermediate plate surrounding said screw loosely, of means to restrainthe retation of said intermediate plate, and means to vary the extent ofpressure of said plates on said intermediate plate.

5. In a mule, a quadrant arm, its screw, a plate fixed to said screw,and a friction-plate surrounding said screw loosely at one side saidfixed plate, combined with a spring, and means acting thereon to controlthe friction of said friction plate on said fixed plate.

6. In a mule, a carriage, winding and tension fallers mounted thereon, aleg controlled by said fallers, a quadrant, its screw, and means forturning said screw, including a band, of a wheel mounted on the carriageand having a ratchet plate applied to said wheel that it may have alimited amount of lost motion relative thereto, said ratchet beingengaged to start the wheel in advance of starting said wheel during theinward run of the carriage and before changing the position of thefallers.

7. A quadrant arm, a quadrant screw, a friction device mounted on saidscrew, and a locking device sustained by said arm, the locking devicewhen engaging said friction device preventing its rotation with saidscrew and when disengaged from said friction device permitting thelatter device to revolve with the screw.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM D. RUNDLE'IT.

Witnesses:

Geo. W. GREGORY, MARGARET A. DUNN.

